Apple MacBook

I’ve owned my MacBook for about a year and a half now. The original purchase had two goals, experience OS X and see what Apple chooses for you in hardware. Let me explain….

The Purchase

I bought the cheap-o. That’s right, the cheapest, lowest performing MacBook they made at the time, an Intel Core Duo 1.86Ghz, 512mb ram, 60gb hard drive, and a DVD/CDRW combo drive. The unit also has gigabit Ethernet, 802.11g wifi, bluetooth, firewire 400, USB 2.0, and DVI out.

PC manufacturers always put out hardware that is, in my opinion, below the minimums. For example, as I write this, Dell offers a Vostro 1000 notebook equipped with an AMD Sempron 3600+ processor, 512mb ram, CDRW/DVD-ROM, wifi, 80gb hard drive, Radeon Xpress 1150 graphics, all running Windows Vista Home Basic. Anyone who’s experienced Vista knows that 512mb ram just doesn’t cut it. You need at least 1gb (2 x 512mb) to run Vista decently, and I would argue it takes 2 gigabytes for anything practical. The Dell costs $399 currently.

Now, the MacBook was not $399, it was $999 (after rebate). In the low-end Mac, the premium for having a nice white laptop is clearly seen. Granted I bought the Mac over a year ago, and the Dell specs are as of today.

Apple doesn’t offer a $399 MacBook (or any other Mac for that reason) partially because they don’t want you to have a bad experience with OS X and go running back to Dell. So herein lies the test. Will the stripped-down version of the MacBook stand up to me?

Can I be a Pro if the Laptop doesn’t Say So?

Apple’s MacBook is the little brother to the MacBook Pro, a bigger, faster, and more “professional” notebook. But I didn’t want a Pro. I didn’t want to spend double the price ($1999), I didn’t want a 15.4 inch screen, I wanted a small notebook, and the 13-inch MacBook is the only option from Apple for this task.

So my MacBook arrives, I pop it out of the nice cardboard box and flip it open. It finds my wireless network immediately — check one for better than Windows. A few minutes and I’ve registered my purchase, have taken my picture with the built-in camera, online with my wifi, and logged in.

First task – Firefox. Don’t get me wrong, Safari is a fine browser, but it’s not Firefox.

After the basics, I got down to business and installed Dreamweaver 8. This is a pro app by definition, although not as hardware intensive as Final Cut Pro, it was a good test. With only 512mb of memory, I expected Dreamweaver to feel sluggish compared to my PC with 2gb ram and Windows XP, but it didn’t. The only lag that was obvious came when trying to multitask, exactly where you’d expect it the most with so little memory.

Let’s just say I was blown away with the Mac’s ability to do professional work with only limited memory to work with. A quick install of Windows XP using Boot Camp proved just how much better OS X runs with 512mb of ram compared to Windows.

Fast Forward Six Months

I’ve upgraded my MacBook to 2gb memory because I found myself using the darn thing so much. I still use a PC at work, and I tote my ThinkPad with me most places, however, when I’m at home on the couch, or even at my desk, I find myself wanting to use the MacBook, if only to experience OS X rather than Windows.

With the new Adobe CS3 installed, the Intel-native Photoshop and Dreamweaver really come to life on the MacBook. Connected to a 22-inch Acer LCD monitor on my desk, using Photoshop on the MacBook compared to my ThinkPad (Core 2 Duo T7200) is about the same — amazingly.

The bottom line, the premium for the Mac is there. If you’re a die-hard Windows person, don’t bother. But if you’re open to a bit of learning, and you like the idea of a 5 pound, 1.08in thick notebook with good battery life, check out the MacBook.

Design is Paramount

Anyone who’s ever seen a piece of Apple hardware knows that someone cares how it looks — actually a bunch of someones. Apple often seems to me as if they design the product first and then figure out how to shoehorn a computer or other gadget into it. Not that this is a bad thing, but there are quirky things about the MacBook.

For starters, the notebook is rounded on each corner — nothing like the boxy ThinkPad. The rounded edges feel nice, overall making the unit feel smaller when closed than it really is. However, since there are no broken lines on the design, when the MacBook is open, the edges of the base are square…down to the point of being sharp. I typically use some sort of gel wrist rest on my desktop keyboards to keep my hands comfortable, my ThinkPad’s design has a gentle slope on the front edge of the notebook making for easy pressure points on your wrist — the MacBook isn’t so. If you’re planning on using the MacBook on a desk, you’ll probably want to consider a separate keyboard (easily accomplished via USB). Maybe it won’t bug you, but I sure notice it.

The unit uses a single vent, built into the spine, to cool the Core Duo processor and other system components. This sure does make for a smooth outside, but I wonder if it’s the most efficient way to cool the innards of the unit. Before the first software update, you could cook a turkey — or thigh as the case may be — on the bottom of the unit if you asked it to do anything major. An update has since improved this, but it still gets noticeably hotter than my ThinkPad, even with it’s slower CPU.

Having said that, the MacBook is a nice design. The unusual keyboard is fantastic to type on (I’ve typed some of this post on it). I’ve been a fan of ThinkPad keyboards for a long time, and the MacBook holds it’s own, I’d say it is equal to the ThinkPad — awfully high praise for a notebook keyboard.

After 18 months, the hinge seems to still be firm, and no display wobble is noticeable — something I can’t say for my old HP. The MacBook uses a magnetic latch to close, rather than a hook system like most. It seems sturdy, easy to open, and holds firmly closed.

The Genius Without Credit

Apple gets credit for the iPhone, the new MacBook Air, and other obvious things, but I think one feature they’ve invented is completely, and unfairly, overlooked. All MacBooks have a “MagSafe” magnetic power connector. I cannot tell you how much I like this. The idea behind it centers around knocking your laptop off a table by tripping on the power cord. I can’t say I’ve ever done this, but I do have one notebook with a bent power connector thanks to an accident.

The magnetic connector simply latches onto the side of the notebook and if tugged, pops right off — no fuss, and no damage done. Ingenious! Apple doesn’t get much credit for the MagSafe technology, but it sure deserves it.

Final Thoughts

I’m a Windows guy, I love my ThinkPad, and I do 90% of my work on PCs, but when I come home, I love my MacBook. It’s fast, small, lightweight, and easy to use. My ThinkPad is my workhorse, by my MacBook is the home of my iTunes library and the laptop I turn to when I want something actually in my lap.

Aside from the Mac vs. PC argument, I have to say the MacBook will suit most laptop buyers not looking for a large display. If you want a 17in notebook — you have to ignore the MacBook and splurge for the 17in MacBook Pro.